Why off-sites are important (and how to make them a success)

You may have the funkiest office in town replete with all the very latest in technology, from lighting, to gaming consoles, to even sleeping pods. Your pantry may boast of dishing out the best chaat, sandwiches, or masala dosa. Your coffee machine may brew cappuccino that's a coffee connoisseur’s delight. But, an office will always be an office. Familiarity breeds boredom. And boredom is never good, especially when you need the team to come together for important decision making. The cure to break this monotony is a fun-filled off-site. Here’s why:

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It helps in team bonding

Off-sites are a great way to get your team together. It helps team members see their colleagues in a new light. Off-sites automatically relax people and put them in a casual mood. With a casual setting, hierarchies break down. The junior members of the team get to express themselves freely. They get an opportunity to shine. Off-sites also provide an opportunity for people from different departments to meet and mingle.

According to an article on Businessworld, “Conducting team building activities such as off-site meetings aligns executives, stimulate performances, and strengthens the company's position in the industry. Employees benefit from experiencing a sense of accomplishment by working as a group in a new, open stimulated environment.”

It fans the creative flame

The daily rigmarole tends to scrape off the creative sheen in people. Off-sites provide a new setting with new challenges that are not as intimidating as the challenges at the workplace. Off-sites encourage people to explore their creative side more freely. With no barriers, creativity flows unhinged, yielding surprising and positive results.

Ways to make off-sites a success

The venue

One of the main aspects contributing to the success of any off-site is the venue. Before choosing the venue, do a thorough research about the place. Make sure you have looked into everything from the quality of the PA system, to the lighting, to food, to facilities for fun activities. A bad venue can bring down the spirit of the event, and your team, thus undoing the purpose of your off-site.

The food

Make sure you plan a menu that's not just a delight but also effective. Carbs tend to make people sleepy. If you want an attentive audience and active participation, keep the carbs off the plate. It would be a good idea to take inputs from a nutritionist to ensure, not just a good spread, but one that’s also right for the occasion.

The fun

A team that plays together stays together. It would be a great mistake to plan an off-site with no fun and games. Interesting games encourage teamwork. Games bring out in people a different side that they usually do not carry to work. A little competition with office colleagues that is not of a serious kind helps people see them in a different light. This helps in bringing the team together and enhances its performance at work.

People love a change of scenery. Working out of the same place over and over every day can eat into an employee's performance levels. Off-sites are a great way to mitigate the monotonous hum of working in the same setup every day. A new place makes the mind alert naturally. And an alert mind is critical for business success.